Pioneer Life in Upper Canada

Aboriginal Peoples Helping the Pioneers

Preserving Meat

Aboriginal people taught the settlers new
methods of preserving meat. They cut strips of deer (called
venison) or other animal meat and dried it by smoking it over a fire or
drying it in the hot sun. Once the meat was dried, it could be
stored for a long time and still be safe for eating. This was very
helpful to the settlers who enjoyed this "beef jerky" and
found it useful when they were travelling or when little or no fresh
meat was available.

The Aboriginal people often used the dried
meat to make "pemmican" which was a ball of fat into which
they rolled the dry meat and sometimes added berries and nuts.
This pemmican lasted for a long time and was nutritious. It was
easy to store and became a handy food for the settlers too.
Many settlers arrived in Upper Canada ill
because they were not eating properly during the voyage across the
Atlantic Ocean. All of the new foods that they received from the
Aboriginal people helped them return to good health.

Source: Long Ago Before I Was Born:
A Look At Life in Early Settler Times - A Unit for Grade 3